Mismatched Owls
by LolliPopLoveChild
Summary: After rescuing a dying owl, strange things begin to happen to Sarah. Wanting to repay the debt, and possibly gain contact with Sarah again, Jareth visits her. But, she has no memory of him, and Jareth becomes trapped in the Aboveground!
1. Chapter 1: Blood Snow

Chapter 1

Blood Snow

The wind howled in Sarah's ear, soft snow flakes falling endlessly around her. She frantically looked over her shoulder as she ran, trying to find a dark figure. Would he catch her this time? Fear widening her eyes, she turned her head back in its regular place, and picked up her pace.

The chilling wind roared, and threw more snowflakes onto her face, some catching the ends of her eye lashes. Again, Sarah looked over her shoulder; her breathing ragged, and yet again did not see the menacing figure that had perused her.

This caused her to slow, but she did not stop completely as she turned into a large forest, with tall evergreens whose branches were weighed down by heavy snow. Her boots crunched the white powder, the sound almost deafening as her breath. Seeing a thick tree, Sarah dove behind it, a hand on her chest as if to slow her heartbeat.

With the other hand, the exposed fingers numb, she covered her mouth to disguise her heavy breathing. At that moment, she regretted not joining her friends at the gym, which could run for hours without being out of breath.

_Snap!_

Sarah froze, wanting to close her eyes, but somehow found that she couldn't do so. She heard the heavy footsteps in the snow become louder, and almost began to run again, when she heard a shriek. It was a loud, rage filled shriek of something not human, something extremely angry. But, in the undertones, she could hear agony in this animal's cry.

The footsteps stopped, as did the heavy breathing from the other person. _Please, please leave! _Sarah pleaded silently, biting her lips that had turned a slightly blue hue. After moments of agonizing silence, the footsteps started up again, but grew fainter, until she could no longer hear anything, except the frantic beating of her heart.

The wind stood still, but the snow continued to fall in large clumps that made her shiver whenever they hit bare skin. Though she did not know how long she stood there, waiting for the footsteps to start up again, she did know something inside stirred. What was that shriek that had caused the other person to leave? Who, or what, had caused it? Suddenly, the shriek rang out again, echoing off the slumbering trees.

This seemed to break the spell which caused her to remain still, and Sarah began to move, looking for the origin of the shriek. It rang out again, filled with pain, rage almost no longer present. This haunting sound caused something to freeze in the young woman's heart, but she continued to travel through the forest, trying to find whatever it was.

She pushed several snow powdered branches out of her way, her pace quickening as she tried to find it. She wanted to, no- she _had_ to find whatever this thing was. Again the shriek rang out, but it was softer this time, the pain filled sound making her run. This time, she ran towards something, not away. Time seemed to be as thick as molasses in these woods, for she seemed to run forever, looking up and down for this thing that cried out in pain.

As she was just about to scream in frustration, the shriek of pain rang out, so loud that it made Sarah jump. In a burst of energy, she ran even faster towards the sound, then stopped when she saw what it was. The place seemed to be absent of any trees or rocks of any kind, simply flat land covered in blinding white snow. Or, what used to be white snow, as it was stained with fresh crimson blood.

A barn owl lay in the snow, one wing flapping with frustration and fear, the other badly mangled. It seemed to be attached to the owl's body by a single strand of feathered flesh, blood pouring out of it like water. It turned its white and light brown head towards Sarah, its eyes piercing. This gaze brought her out of her shock, and she raced towards the bird.

Her better judgment told her to leave it alone, as injured animals are extremely dangerous; something made her race towards it though. It tried to fly away from her, but with its one wing, it wasn't going anywhere. Realizing this, the owl opened its sharp beak, and extended a clawed foot out, as if to show Sarah how dangerous it was. She sucked in a breath, and slowly walked towards the flapping bird, that seemed to hiss at her.

"It's ok," she whispered tenderly, putting her hands up to show the owl she meant no harm, "I'm not going to hurt you." The owl obviously didn't seem to hear her, and hissed again, snapping at her. Despite this, Sarah inched closer, somewhere in her mind someone seemed to be screaming, _You moron! What the hell are you doing?_

Surprisingly, the owl seemed to calm down a bit as she came closer, but watched her with an enraged gaze. It opened its beak once again to show her how sharp it was, but did nothing else as she moved closer. Very slowly and gently, Sarah placed her fingertips on the bird's soft white feathers, then tensed up in case it made a swipe at her. But it made no move, even though it tensed up as well. This provided her more confidence, and she placed both of her hands on the owl's body, even tenser.

The muscles in her neck began to hurt from the tension put on them, but she ignored the pain. Still, the owl watched her with an eerie calmness, but Sarah guessed that must have been because of the amount of blood lost. Very slowly, she picked it up, cradling it in such a way that its wing wasn't touching her. Its already wide eyes seemed to grow, causing Sarah to see their mismatched irises.

One was a piercing blue, like ice, deep and still as the ocean at night. The other was a dark hazel, like the bark on the trees surrounding them, full of warmth and emotion. How was it possible that one was blank, icy, and emotionless while the other was warm, caring, and full of expression?

Clearing those thoughts out of her mind, Sarah made her way out of the forest, her eyes darting side to side in fear, just in case the man decided to come back. But all she could hear was the sound of her frantic heart beat, the crunching of snow beneath her boots, and the escaping breath from the dying owl.

*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

Sarah leaned up against the wall, placing her numb hands over the heater that stood beside her. Opening and closing her hands to get feeling back into them, thoughts tumbled around her mind like heavy stones. The person chasing her had been her boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend, who had become enraged when she had wanted to end the relationship.

It just wasn't working out, but he didn't seem to think that. To put it simply, he had become violent, causing Sarah to flee into the snow covered streets. How she ended up in the forest, was beyond her.

"Sarah?" a voice asked behind her. Sarah jumped and spun around, a relieved smile breaking out on her face when she realized who it was. Melody grinned, her cherry red lips spread across her face.

Melody was Sarah's complete opposite in almost every way, but they had remained friends through high school, college, even when they both got their own careers. Her black hair was always in disarray, no matter what anyone ever did to it. The only time Sarah remembered it being tamed was on Melody's wedding day. Her large coal black eyes were always full of understanding and love, no matter what anyone did. She was also extremely short, only coming up to Sarah's chest.

"I think he'll be fine," Melody said, interrupting Sarah as the memory of Melody's wedding distracted her, "We had to operate a lot on his wing, and give him a lot of liquids, but he's fine."

Sarah let go of the breath she realized that she had been holding, and smiled. "That's great," she answered with a grin, "When do you think he can be released back into the wild?"

Melody's smile faltered, and she sighed. "Not for a long, long time," she replied, "His wing was nearly ripped from his body. There'll be a lot of physical therapy involved."

Sarah sighed as well, but shrugged. At least the owl was still alive, that was all she was concerned with. Of course, she'd have to pay for the veterinarian costs, but other than that, she could leave the owl behind. She had more pressing matters to deal with. Sarah's smile came back, and she leaned down to hug Melody, giving her a tight squeeze.

"I missed you, Mel," Sarah said as she pulled back, "How's Jeremy?" The question caused a splinter in her heart, but she kept the pained expression off of her face. Melody grinned, unconsciously touching her wedding ring as she thought of her husband.

"He's good," she said with a nod, "His book is almost done!" Sarah chuckled, and hugged her friend again. Jeremy was an author who would sometimes remain in his office for days, writing these very imaginative fantasy novels.

"I've got to go," Sarah said sorrowfully, "Call me sometime, 'k?" Melody nodded fiercely, flashing the brunette a thumbs up. Sarah laughed slightly as she turned away, walking down the hallways, but her smile slipped from her face as she turned away from her friend.

Chris, her ex, had chased her through the streets and into the woods, so what had been his intentions? Did he mean to harm her? Sarah shook her head, and pushed open the glass door to outside. The cold wind engulfed her body as she jogged away from the building, wishing that she had her car with her.

But no, she had run here, so she would have to run to her home as well. Slowing down, she realized that the snow had lightened up, the snowflakes not as endless, not as large. She stuck out her tongue to catch one, and did so a few seconds later. A genuine laugh sprang out her throat for no reason, but she didn't care; at least she was laughing.

After ridding the unusually cheerful expression from her face, Sarah began to walk again, as she had stopped earlier. As she turned to examine a shop through a window, she noticed in the reflection that a strange man stood beside her, staring at her intently.

His hair was styled in an odd way, possibly a mullet a light color of blonde that Sarah envied, his long angular face solemn. She ignored him, trying to concentrate on the display before her, but finally, when she wasn't able to take the staring anymore, she turned towards the man, her brown eyes blazing with annoyance. But, her mouth hung open as her eyes scanned over empty air.

No man. No figure. Nothing. "What the-?" she muttered, scanning her surroundings. For a moment, she thought she heard a chuckle, but quickly dismissed it as she scurried away.


	2. Chapter 2: Coincidence and Such

Chapter 2

Coincidence and such

Sarah sighed contently as she opened the door to her apartment, a grin on her face. She quickly locked the door behind her, then plopped down on the couch, stretching out on the entire length of the couch, which caused her ankles to hang off the side.

After a few moments of staring up at the ceiling, Sarah sat up, rubbing her tired eyes. For a few seconds, she stared blankly at the wall opposite to her, but then got up with a tired sigh, heading towards the kitchen. She rewarded herself for surviving this horrible day with a glass of wine, and a book. Hours flew by as she devoured every word, every sentence of the book, loosing herself in the seductive words. Gone were her worries, her sorrows, her memories.

As she neared the end, Sarah sighed, slamming the book shut when it ended with the words, "Not exactly the end, but close to it." With a groan, she realized that she had sipped down half a bottle of wine, which left her head feeling dizzy.

"Great Sarah, just great," she muttered as she turned off the lights, heading towards her bedroom, "Don't do that again." As she turned on the lights in her bedroom, she realized with a start that something had changed.

The contents on her desk had been disheveled, and a picture frame that used to be lying down was now standing up. Sarah approached the picture, almost in a trance like state.

It was a picture of her, her step-mother and her father, smiling at the camera man, whom Sarah remembered to be her uncle. She gazed upon her face in the photo with shame. Such innocence, such trust filled the girl in the picture's eyes. And her face wasn't marred by an ugly scar.

Unconsciously, Sarah's hand flew to the scar on her left cheekbone, which began at the top of her ear to the corner of her eye. She gritted her teeth, picked up the photo, and threw it in the trash. Someone had obviously been in her apartment, gone through her things, and made that picture angled so that she would see it.

_Bet it was Chris,_ she thought angrily as she pulled on her pajamas, _he has a key to_ _my apartment. I had better change the locks tomorrow._ After brushing her teeth, and washing her face, Sarah settled down for the night. As her consciousness slipped away from her, she thought she saw a figure outside of her window, but sleep took her away before she could do anything about it.

*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

Sarah awoke to sunlight streaming through cracks that her thick curtains failed to cover. She groaned as she rolled over, trying to hide from the light, sleep still calling to her. After a few moments of being still, Sarah got out of her bed with an annoyed look, untangling her legs from her sheets.

_Another day,_ she thought as she rose from her bed, shaking off a lingering sheet that still clung to her leg. Just as she was fixing herself a pot of coffee, her phone rang.

"Yes?" she answered, pushing a button on the coffee machine.

"Sarah?" a familiar voice asked, "This is Melody."

A slight smile broke out on Sarah's pale face. "Oh, hey Melody," she greeted cheerfully, "What's up?"

Melody paused on the other end of the line, causing Sarah's heart to sink. Her grin slipped off her face, and she felt the color drain from her face as well. Had she found out about her secret? The one that she so desperately needed to tell Melody, but couldn't?

"You know the owl you brought in yesterday?" Melody began, "Oh wait, duh you'd know about it, you brought it in! Well, anyways, it's gone! Disappeared! Isn't that weird?"

Sarah let out a sigh of relief, almost muttering phew under her breath. "That is weird," she agreed, "How'd he get away?" That owl's wing was almost ripped from its body! And so much blood had been lost! How on earth could that animal make an escape a few hours after being so close to death?

"I dunno," Melody replied, "He's just gone. No one knows where he is. Did you take him?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. Why would she want some half dead bird? "No way," she insisted, "Why would I want him? I brought him to you so that he could get better. He might have escaped through an open window or something." Sarah could see in her mind Melody shaking her head, her black hair moving along with the rest of her.

"No way," she said, sighing roughly. In the background, she heard another voice, a deeper voice. It was a low, musical voice that always sounded so relaxed and sleepy. Despite the soothing tone in the voice, Sarah froze.

"Oh, hey Jeremy!" Melody exclaimed, "I'm talking to Sarah. You wanna say hi?" Sarah could almost see him freeze up, his usually half lidded green eyes wide, bushy eye brows shooting up his forehead.

"No thanks," Jeremy replied, his voice muffled, "Not right now."

Sarah gripped the edge of her counter, tears welling up in her eyes. "Well," Sarah said after clearing her throat, "I've got work soon, so bye!" That was a lie, as her job started in a few hours, but Sarah wouldn't be able to talk to her friend without telling.

"Alright," Melody replied cheerfully, which broke Sarah's heart into pieces, "Talk to you later!"

With a loud clink, Sarah no longer could hear her friend's voice. Laying her forehead on the cool wall, she punched the wall as hard as she could, which she regretted immediately, as her knuckles had begun to throb.

"Fuck," she growled, shaking her hand, biting her lip as she did so. _How much_ _longer can I go_, she thought sorrowfully, _Without telling Melody the truth about who her husband really is?_

*!*!*!*!*!*!*!**!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

"Hey, Sarah," Hannah said, smacking the brunette on the shoulder, "Why so down?"

Sarah smiled at the college student in front of her, rolling her eyes. "I'm just lost in thought," Sarah replied, "I'm not like you, ya know."

Hannah grinned, laughter that sounded like bells spilling from her mouth. "Yeah, I noticed," she said, "Whatcha thinking about? Is it a guy?"

Sarah nearly choked on the apple she had been taking a bite out of. _What is with_ _this girl_, she thought as she coughed, _and boys?_ "So it is a guy!" Hannah announced with triumph, fist pumping the air. Sarah coughed some more, pounding her chest to get the air in.

"Wha-no way!" Sarah replied, coughing some more, "What's with you and guys? Geez." Hannah simply grinned, and got up, humming softly to herself. This was usually how the girl acted when she got into a conversation about boys. Sarah made an annoyed sound in her throat, muttering, "Curse you Universe!"

She exhaled slowly, looking around the library. The scene caused her scowl to disappear from her face, and a soft smile to appear. Sarah had always loved books, from the moment she could read, which lead to being labeled a book worm or nerd, despite the fact that she got average grades in school.

The slight smile that crossed her face grew larger as she took in the scene before her. Two teenage girls sat at a table, giggling to each other as they read magazines, while an old man sitting across from them glared at the two as he tried to read his long novel. A young mother and her son wandered the children's section, his small hand clasped in her callused one as they both pulled out thin books with colorful pictures.

One girl, who Sarah saw all the time, wandered the aisles with a serious, sad look on her round face as she grabbed many books. One table close by was that one she always chose, a mountain of books in the middle. No one ever sat there, as it had long ago been claimed as hers. The girl, whose name was, Anna, gently placed her pile of books into a black bag, and approached the desk, a small shy smile on her face.

"Hey, Anna!" Sarah greeted, "Haven't seen you in a while!" Anna smile turned nervous, and she quickly nodded. "Yeah," she answered, her voice meek, "School work and stuff. Really annoying. How're you?" Sarah smiled sadly at the girl as she stamped the books.

Anna ran her fingers through her blonde hair, a habit that she seemed to do a lot of. Sarah saw the healed and occasional new scars up and down the girl's arms despite the long sleeves she often wore peek through as she lifted her arm. Anna's eyes were scared and jumpy, and she looked at everyone as if they were a threat. Sarah glimpsed up at the jumpy girl, sorrow in her brown eyes.

"Alright, thanks," she said, "All done, here you go!" She handed the many books over towards the shy girl, who quickly thanked her and walked quickly out. "Next in line please," she called, straightening up her desk.

The man who approached her desk made her eyes widen. He smirked at her expression, and quickly set down three books on her desk. Sarah quickly averted her eyes towards the books, stamping them. He was the man who she had seen in the reflection, who ended not actually being there!

His face was angular, and long as well, but did not hold as much sorrow as before. Instead, his expressions were laced with arrogance and sarcasm, though his eyes did hold a sliver of sorrow.

_His eyes…_ Sarah quickly peeked up at him, then looked down when he smirked. His eyes were the same as the owl's! One eye was an icy blue, whilst the other was a warm hazel color.

_Coincidence!_ Her mind shouted, _that's all it is!_ But something in her said otherwise, causing her to bury that feeling deep down. She slid the books towards the man, looking up, a fake smile plastered on her pale face. The appearance of this man had shaken her for some reason.

"Here you go," Sarah said politely, "Have a nice day." The man stood there for a moment, smirking, then turned on his heel.

"You have a nice day as well, Sarah," he replied softly, disappearing out the glass doors. Sarah's brown eyes widened. How had he known her name? They wore no name tags; there was nothing around with her name on it. Lucky guess? Sarah was a rather common name.

"Hey," Hannah said, poking Sarah in the shoulder, "It's the end of your shift, ya know." Sarah jumped, and laughed slightly at her jumpiness, but mostly because of Hannah's surprised expression.

"Yeah, ok," Sarah replied with a nod, standing up abruptly. She gathered her things, and scurried out of the building, her thoughts scrambled and jumbled.

**Eclipse: Thanks for the reviews! Also, I'm very sorry that the format in the previous chapter was hard to read, it published that chapter at 3 in the morning soooo….**

**SHOUT OUT!**

**FashionAvenue – Thanks so much! I fixed the format, so I hope it works out. Sorry about that!**

**ScarlettBlue – Thanks so much! You made me blush! O/O**

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	3. Chapter 3: Return

Chapter 3

Return

Sarah slowly approached her car, making sure that everything was accounted for. As she closed her purse, her eyes flickered over to her bare wrist. Only moments before, her watch that she had accepted from her mother had been clipped on her wrist, but it was there no longer. "God damnit!" Sarah cursed under her breath, gritting her teeth together.

Could nothing in her miserable life go according to plan? _Apparently not_, Sarah thought with distaste, turning back towards the library. As she began to walk back towards the building, something splashed on her cheek, inches away from her scar. Her hand flew towards her cheek, and looked up towards the sky.

The dark, ominous clouds swirled over head, their bellies swelled with tears that the sky desperately wanted to release. These tears from the sky leaked softly out of the darkened clouds, which Sarah caught in her open palm. She looked up into the sky, and was rewarded with a sudden down pour of rain. It was as if someone had tipped over a bucket of water on her head. Within seconds, she was soaked. "Thanks Universe," she muttered, sighing.

The snow quickly turned into grey slush, mingling with the city filth. Suddenly, her legs gained energy, and she ran back towards her car, placing her hands over her head as if to provide shelter. Her fingers slipped on her car keys, and she dropped them on the ground.

"No!" she yelped, bending down to fetch them. But, the water carried them away from her, under the car. "Come back!" she shouted, getting down on her hands and knees, one arm underneath the car.

The hard gravel bit into her knees, leaving indents, but she didn't care. If she lost those keys, she would have to run home! By car, it took her roughly an hour to get here, so by foot would be much longer, and she hated taking the bus. Her slender fingers closed on something shaped like her car keys, and she pulled it out.

Opening her closed fist, Sarah grinned as her car keys were revealed. Her brown hair now hanging to wet strands, she pulled it back as she unlocked her car. As the door opened, she slipped in as quickly as she could, soaking the seat beneath her. She closed the door quickly, and started it up. "Thank you," she muttered as she backed up, and drove away.

!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

Sarah opened her apartment door, shivering as the air conditioning froze the water on her skin. She ran towards the shower, already peeling off her water logged clothing. The warm water massaged out her tense muscles, and the shivering subsided.

After what seemed forever, Sarah stepped out, a towel wrapped around her naked body, another for her hair. She walked out of the bathroom, heading towards her bedroom, when she noticed something. On the coffee table, a picture frame had been placed in the middle.

Sarah approached it, holding the edges of her towel together. It was faced away from her, so she did not see what photo it held captive behind a thin layer of glass. Very carefully, with scared eyes darting from the frame to around her, she turned it so that she could see what it held.

She sucked in a breath, and drew back, as if her hand was burned. It was the picture of her again, no scar, innocence still present. But, this time, written with elegant hand writing, were the words:

_Do you remember?_

Enraged, Sarah slid the picture out of the frame, and tore it into small pieces that littered the hard wood floor like confetti. Then, she threw the empty frame in the trash, vowing to kill whoever had broken into her apartment.

_Most likely Chris_, she thought bitterly, heading back towards her bedroom. After getting dressed into her pajamas, she snuggled under the covers, but her thoughts forced away even the slightest suggestion of sleep.

Remember what? Was this Chris, messing with her head, or was it someone else? If so, what did they want? Sarah straightened up, her damp hair sticking to her neck.

_There's no way I'm going to go to sleep,_ she thought bitterly, dragging her hand down her face in annoyance. As her bare feet padded softly away from her bed, something scratched at her window, which was at the right of her bed.

"God, what _now_?" Sarah almost yelled, throwing her hands up in exasperation. Stomping her way over, she tore open her curtains, her face twisted in annoyance. Her anger flaming eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. Perched on the railing of the fire escape, was an owl. A barn owl, to be exact. He turned his head towards the young woman on the other side of the window, and flew towards it. Sarah's brown eyes traveled towards his wing, which held the tell tale scar, that was still red.

"It's you," she breathed, opening the window, as if in a trance. Later, she would reflect on this action, and realize how utterly idiotic it was, but at that moment, something seemed to draw a blank. The owl's eyes seemed to smile, and perked on the window sill, inches away from Sarah.

Breathless, she gently ran her fingers down the owl's soft feathers, shocked at how such a frightening predator could feel so soft. The half moon reflected itself in her eyes as she gazed into the owl's, mesmerized. The owl suddenly drew back, and hovered in the air, but the gaze was not broken. Only as something strange came over the bird did Sarah break the endless stare.

The owl seemed to glimmer, his white feathers almost as blinding as snow, and began grow. For a moment, he was beautiful, but then, his face began to distort, as well as his wings. Sarah drew back in fear, her hands flying to her mouth, terror widening her eyes.

_What on earth?_ She screamed silently. The owl, which was less bird, almost humanoid, grew and grew, his feathers turning black. Suddenly, a man stood in front of the young woman's window, grinning, even though exhaustion shone in his mismatched eyes.

His face matched that of the man at the library and the man in the reflection. Her eyes widened more, and she took a step backwards. "That took forever," he said with an annoyed sigh, his British accent light. Her limbs heavy, Sarah drew the curtains back together, and calmly walked away.

**Eclipse: Hiya! Sorry about the slightly slower update, I've just had school (bleh) and David Bowie/Jareth to obsess over…. :D **

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**ScarlettBlue – Heehee! Here you are, then! ^^ Thanks so much!**

**DefyMe – Awww, thanks! That made me feel all warm and fuzzy!**


	4. Chapter 4: Bruised

Chapter 4

Bruised

As she calmly walked away, Sarah's strange coolness towards the situation perplexed her, but that feeling was soon locked away.

"Sarah!" the man shouted, forcing open the curtains wide, his tone annoyed. She looked behind her, and cursed silently.

_Shit! _She thought, _Please, please tell me I'm drunk! _Instead, she turned around, and glared at him.

"Get out of my home," she growled, inching towards her bed side table, which contained a gun, "Before I call the cops on your ass! Get. Out!"

The man smirked, unfazed by her fiery glare, and stepped inside her bedroom, closing in like a predator does its prey. His smirk turned mischievous, and he was soon right in her face, brushing his hand across her cheek. She swatted it away, and stepped away from the stranger before her.

For some reason, she didn't feel the need to scream, or get him out; in fact, a part of her wanted him to stay. But why? She didn't know him.

"I see you don't remember me," he said, sorrow flashing so fast over his angular face that for a moment, Sarah was sure she had imagined it. She continued to glare at him, crinkling her nose in anger.

"No shit," she snarled, her hand slowly pulling out the drawer which held the gun, "Get out. Now. You're breaking and entering my property, so get out." _Technically,_ a little voice squeaked_, you let him in. You opened the window_. She gritted her teeth at the thought.

The man grinned a slight half smile, and chuckled, but no words graced his lips. His face became slightly confused as he watched Sarah's angry face turn into a smirk. What he couldn't see was her fingers curling around the all too familiar handle of her gun, the cold metal making her adrenaline rush faster. As she raised it upwards to point at his head, the man lunged forward, grabbing her wrists, forcing the gun out of her hands in doing so.

Sarah bared her teeth at him, thrashing to get away. Though she raised her leg to knee him in between the legs, something heavy and cold seemed to settle there, rendering them useless. The man leaned in, his face so close to hers that their noses touched, causing Sarah to freeze, fear grabbing her heart with an iron grip.

Anger soon melted the icy hold of fear, and she rammed her forehead against his. Despite the fact that her head soon throbbed, and dots swam in her vision, the man showed little injury.

"That wasn't nice," he growled, gripping her wrists harder. Sarah made an enraged animalistic sound in her throat, glaring at him with such ferocity that she wouldn't be surprised to see his icy blue eye melt, and his hazel one catch on fire.

His eyes traveled over her face, but then suddenly widened as his gaze stopped, transfixed on her scar. Realizing this, Sarah's face burned, and she turned away, her left side facing that wall so that he wouldn't be able to see the marred side of her face. She quietly begged that he would leave it alone, but he did not hear this silent plea.

Releasing one of her of wrists, he turned her face, so that he could examine it closer. Out of her corner of her eyes, Sarah saw something strange happen with the man's. Both of his irises turned into an ominous midnight black, glittering slightly, almost as it there were stars accompanying the night sky in his eyes. .

"Who. Did. This?" he said through clenched teeth. Sarah laughed harshly, sneering.

"What do you care?" she snapped, "Go away, I don't even know you!" Sorrow filled his once anger filled eyes, causing Sarah pain for some reason. One of his ringed fingers traced the scar from her ear to the corner of her eye gently, almost lovingly. Despite the fact that she told herself not to, she flinched away, as if struck.

Anger reignited in the man's eyes, darkening them, causing fear to burn yet again in Sarah's heart. The anger radiating off of the man before her also caused a word to appear in her mind, almost like a whisper.

_Jareth…_

Suddenly, pain rippled throughout her mind, causing her to gasp in agony. _Jareth_, something screamed feebly, _Jareth!_ A wave of nausea ran through her body, hand in hand with the mind numbing pain.

The man, whom her mind told her was named Jareth, backed away slightly as her knees gave out, and she crumbled to the ground. She no longer cared that some stranger stood before her, she only wished for the pain to end.

"Make it stop!" she whimpered, clutching her head so that it wouldn't explode, "Make it-," but she couldn't finish her sentence, as another wave of pain came. Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes, and she held in the sobs. Jareth knelt down, tenderly placing his shaking hands on Sarah's body, hoping something could bring her out of this state.

How long he had waited to see the Champion of the Labyrinth again, and she remembered nothing! To top that all off, their reunion had left a bitter taste in Jareth's mouth, and here she sat, crying about an unseen agony, only visual on her face.

"Please," Sarah whimpered, tears no longer flowing. Slowly, the pain ebbed away, causing her to relax slightly. As she pulled away her hands from her head, she almost expected to see chunks of her skull falling off, but there was nothing. Exhausted and worn to the bone, Sarah collapsed onto the ground, a helpless Jareth watching.

_Shouldn't we do something about that guy? _A little voice asked Sarah. _Not right_ _now,_ she answered meekly, _maybe tomorrow, but not right now….let me sleep_.

!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!

Harsh light shone on Sarah's closed eyes, which quickly fluttered open. She groaned as she raised a hand to shield her vulnerable eyes, turning away from the source of the light. As she closed her eyes, snuggling into her covers, Sarah remembered the odd dream from last night, wondering what on earth it could have meant.

Usually, she was pretty good on interpreting dreams, but this one had her stumped.

"Hello," a deep voice greeted, causing a vision of a smirk to appear in her mind. _Oh God, no!_ Sarah almost screamed, reluctantly creaking open one eye lid. There, leaning on her door way, his hair a little messy, was Jareth. His eyes sparkled as he took in her pissed off face, and he chuckled slightly.

"Not you!" Sarah groaned, turning away from the man, "Go away! Take the money, take whatever the hell you want, just leave me alone!" She could almost hear him smirk, which made her seethe silently.

Her hard wood floor creaked as he walked towards her bed slowly, almost as if he was drawing out the event. Just as the footsteps subsided, Sarah turned over to snap something at him when she almost butted heads with him. Jareth's eyes widened as hers did, her surprise reflecting back at her in his mismatched eyes. As he took a step backwards, Sarah's face flushed, and she rolled away, falling off the bed.

As she shouted, "What the hell, man?" Jareth roared, "That was uncalled for!" She stood up, the covers still clinging to her head, almost like a cloak, and she glared at him.

"You're the weirdo in my home!" she seethed, "That is totally uncalled for!" Jareth's eyebrows furrowed, and he growled.

"You being incredibly ungrateful is very uncalled for!" he shouted back, his face twisting in anger. Sarah scoffed, laughing sarcastically. As her eyes strayed to the clock near her bed, she gasped suddenly, her eyes almost popping out of her sockets.

A string of curse words that left Jareth feeling rather uncomfortable sprang out of her mouth like wild fire, and she scrambled into the kitchen. "God damnit!" she screamed, stuffing a piece of bread in her mouth, "Wha id oo to ta mah glock?" Jareth stared at her in confusion. Her sudden change in emotions was rather overwhelming; he didn't remember her being like this.

Sarah gulped down a glass of milk to get the bread down, and pounded on her chest so that she could breathe. "What did you do to my clock?" she repeated, running a brush through her tangles as she ran back to her room.

"You mean the beeping thing?" Jareth asked, "I threw it out of the window." A scream echoed out from behind Sarah's closed door, and she emerged, wearing crumbled pants, an unbuttoned blouse, and one sock.

"Why'd you do that?" she yelled, bending over to get on her other sock. Jareth's face uncharacteristically lit up as he "accidentally" looked down her shirt, causing him to look away.

"It was rather annoying," he answered with a casual shrug. Sarah groaned as she straightened up, and then ran to her bathroom. _Crap,_ her mind yelled, _Work! Got_ _to get this weirdo out of here, then go!_ She began brushing her teeth, and quickly put on a little bit of make-up.

"You!" she yelled, pointing at a rather confused Jareth, "Get out! I'm leaving, and I don't want you in my home!" She opened the door, and then grabbed him by the shoulder. "Out!" she yelled, and closed the door before he could object.

"Fine!" Jareth yelled back, kicking the door childishly. Realizing this, his head fell into his gloved hands with shame, and he sighed. _What is wrong with me?_ He thought as he walked away from Sarah's apartment.

A crash echoed from her apartment, causing him to jump, and twirl around. The door flew open, and Sarah burst out, colliding with the opposite wall. As she bounced off of that wall, she slammed her door shut, locking it within a few seconds. "Move movemovemove!" she yelled, her words running together as she said them so quickly. As she ran by a slightly scared Jareth, he felt a wave of wind that made his hair move.

!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

"Woah, Sarah, what's up with you?" Hannah asked, poking the brunette who had arrived an hour late for work in the shoulder. Sarah turned her head to look at the girl, a vein bulging in her forehead. _Scary dark aura_, Hannah thought as she shrank back.

"Sorry," Sarah replied with a sigh, "Just having a bad day." She ran her fingers through her hair, her thoughts returning to Jareth. What did he want with her? Who was he exactly? Why did he seem so familiar? These thoughts rolled around in her mind, refusing to be cleared away.

Hannah inched away from the fuming woman, quietly telling her co-workers to leave Sarah alone; they didn't need to be told twice.

"Hello," someone said meekly. Sarah looked up from her desk, a kind smile breaking out on her face as she recognized the girl in front of her. But, her eyes widened when she realized something extremely different about the girl.

"Anna!" Sarah exclaimed, "Hi! I like what you're done with your hair!" Anna grinned confidently, her fingers unconsciously pulling on her hot pink hair, one side longer than the other.

"Thanks," she replied, setting a mountain of books on Sarah's desk. She sighed, and quickly stamped them all, sliding them towards Anna, who quickly thanked her. As she walked away, Sarah noticed large bruises covered her arms, and Anna limped slightly.

Sarah's brown eyes narrowed, and she stood up slightly, making sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. They weren't. A large, blue and yellow bruise encircled Anna's thin wrist, a healed cut right above it.

"Hey Hannah," Sarah called, "I'm going to take a quick break, ok?" The college student quickly nodded, still a little afraid of the older woman. Sarah nodded, and quickly followed Anna. Something was seriously wrong; she could feel that in her gut. Usually, her gut was right.

She remained a few steps behind the pink haired girl, but it was quite easy, as her punk hairstyle stood out from the dull environment around them. Puddles of slush soaked her shoes, but she paid little attention to herself, as her main focus was on Anna.

Indeed, her right leg seemed to be injured, causing her to limp. At one point, she pulled up her pants leg, checking her leg. Sarah's eyes widened as Anna checked her leg, giant bruises and cuts covering her skin, so much so that her pale skin looked deformed. Her hand flew to her mouth, horror making her heart stop. Content with what she had been checking, Anna continued on, down a street with cookie cutter houses.

"Horrifying, isn't it?" someone asked behind Sarah, causing her to jump. As she turned, her horror filled eyes watched Jareth grimly jerk his head towards Anna, who disappeared into one of the houses.

**Eclipse: Hehehehe, cliff hanger! By the way, here's a little tidbit of info: When Sarah was speaking with the bread in her mouth, I actually stuffed my fist into my mouth, and said her line, to see what it would sound like. ^^ **

**SHOUT OUT!**

**Rocky181- Here ya go! Thanks for the review!**

**ScarlettBlue – Aye aye, captain! That just made my day, thanks!**

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	5. Chapter 5: Promise You Won't Come Back

Chapter 5

Promise You Won't Come Back

"When did you get here?" Sarah whispered, not taking her eyes off of the house that Anna had entered.

"A few seconds ago," Jareth answered, his tone serious. He decided not to bring up the fact that he could watch her through a magical crystal ball, and that she had rudely forced him out of her home; he would talk with her on such matters later.

"Is she-?" Sarah asked, pointing towards the house, not wanting to express her fears.

"Most likely," Jareth replied with a casual shrug, "It happens." Sarah glared at him for his indifference, and grinded her teeth, unsure of what to do next. Anna couldn't spend another moment in that house if she was indeed being abused, but Sarah would need to know if it was from her parents or someone else. As confidentially as she could, Sarah made her way towards Anna's house, but was pulled back by Jareth.

"What're you doing?" she hissed, jerking her arm out of his grasp.

"Keeping you out of danger," he growled, "If that place is dangerous, then I can't let you go in there." Sarah's eyes narrowed, though she was surprised at his words. Did he care for her? _No,_ she thought, _that's impossible. He's just messing_ _with my head_.

"I'm a big girl," she replied, "I can take care of myself, thanks." She quickly walked down the street, leaving Jareth standing there, alone. He fumed on the inside, but a large splinter had wedged itself into his heart.

She didn't need him? His head hung low. He had been rejected. Again.

Sarah made her way up the crumbled cement pathway, dead soggy grass only adding to her trepidation. She knocked as loud as she could on the dark green door, only to be greeted by a set of scared blue grey eyes. The girl must have been only twelve, but her eyes held great misery and sorrow.

"Hello," Sarah greeted kindly, "Is Anna home?" The girl's eyes widened, and she looked the woman in front of her with a suspicious glare.

"What did she do?" the girl asked, her voice surprisingly low and hoarse, like she hadn't spoken in years.

"Nothing," Sarah answered, shaking her head, "I just want to talk to her." The girl continued to look at her cautiously, like a dear in the pathway of a car, but nodded after a while.

"I'll go get her," she said, "Wait here." The heavy green door closed with a loud bang, muffled yells emanating from behind it. A few seconds later, the door swung, revealing a perplexed looking Anna, who leaned against the door frame.

"Oh, hey Sarah!" she greeted cheerfully, "Did I forget something?" Sarah shook her head.

"No, I just wanted to talk with you about something," she said. Anna's eye brows furrowed in confusion. Behind the pink haired girl, Sarah spied the younger girl, who continued to look at the woman with an angry glare.

Now that half of the door didn't cover the young girl's body, she could now see all of her. The girl was thinner than a stick, her baggy clothing almost slipping off of her body, her pale skin almost translucent. Her vibrant red hair hung off of her head in dirty strands, and her giant blue grey eyes were as big as saucers, constantly darting around, looking for signs of danger.

"Could I come in?" Sarah asked, gently, stepping forward. Anna's blue eyes became like the little girls, scared and suspicious. She closed the door slightly, almost closing it all together.

"Are your parents home?" Sarah asked, looking at the gravel driveway. No cars were present. Anna looked back at the young girl, who nodded slightly at the pink haired girl, and she sighed.

"We can talk," Anna said, "Come on in." She opened the door, letting Sarah walk into the house. It was a very well furnished house, with obviously expensive furniture.

Stairs stood to her left, leading upstairs, while an ajar door towards her left exposed stairs that lead to the basement. In front of her, a few feet away, stood a large plush couch, with a giant TV that almost swallowed the entire wall. The young girl stood by the couch, watching the two with worry. Anna walked over to the couch, and then turned abruptly right, disappearing behind a wall. Sarah quickly jogged over to join her, turning the corner to face a long table with elegantly carved legs.

Five chairs encircled the sides, one larger chair at the head. Anna sat on one of the chairs, and pointed to one across from her. "Sit here," she instructed. Sarah did so, quickly taking in Anna's serious face. She suddenly felt a presence behind her, and turned to see the young girl, so close that she could touch her.

"Matilda," Anna warned, "You're scaring her. Sorry about my sis, she's a weirdo." Matilda watched Sarah still, but inched away. Suddenly, two pairs of eyes focused on a clock near the TV, and the two girls froze with terror.

"Please make this quick," Matilda said, her voice rough, "It's almost 4." Anna nodded quickly at her sister, and then turned back towards Sarah.

"Is something going on?' Sarah asked quickly, searching Anna's face, "I've noticed some bruises-," her sentence was suddenly interrupted by Matilda. "Get out," she growled, standing up, "Get the fuck out of this house." Sarah's eyes widened, and she turned to look at the young girl, shock in her eyes.

"Matilda," Anna snapped, "Shut it." Sarah stood up, her eyes darting between Anna and Matilda. "Matilda," she said softly, "What's going on? You can tell me. I can help you."

Matilda scoffed, her scared eyes now blazing with rage. "You can't help us," she growled, her voice filling with rage, "Get out. Now." Suddenly, the two girls froze at exactly the same time as the sound of tires crunching gravel filled the silence. Anna grabbed Sarah's wrist with an iron grip, and yanked open the back door, leading her out of the house.

"Matilda!" she said, silent words exchanging between the sisters as they looked at each other. The red head nodded, and she headed towards the front door, her face becoming blank. Anna and Sarah made their way across the large backyard, the mud splashing on their legs as they ran.

"Anna!" Sarah exclaimed, stopping abruptly, "Tell me what's going on!" Anna stopped, tears welling up in her eyes. A loud yell echoed out of the house, causing the girl to wince, as if in great pain.

"We have to go," she said softly, her eyes on the ground, "I'll tell you later." Despite the stabbing pain her heart, Sarah ran along with Anna, no longer trying to hang back. As a large chain link fence came into view, Anna stopped, and opened the gate for her.

"I have to go back," she said, waiting for Sarah to exit, "Promise that you won't come back." Sarah scanned Anna's face, and sighed wearily. "I promise," she answered reluctantly. Anna nodded, and ran back to the house, her blue eyes blank. Sarah cast one more look in Anna's direction, before heading out into the streets.

**Eclipse: 'Ello mates! I know it's sort of going off of the original plot (D:) but it'll get on track soon! **

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**Rocky181 – Thanks! ^^**

**ScarlettBlue – As long as they're good questions! Thanks!**

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	6. Chapter 6:In The World of the Dead Trees

Chapter 6

In The World of the Dying Trees

Jareth was waiting for her when she opened her apartment door. "You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" Sarah asked with a heavy sigh, setting her keys on the counter. She had told Hannah that she was leaving early, for she wasn't feeling well, so she had gotten the rest of the day and tomorrow off.

"No," Jareth answered arrogantly, crossing his arms. A part of her rejoiced at his answer, which she found rather confusing, but for the most part, she did nothing but groan. Though she reached for the phone to call the police, something seemed to stop her.

"What do you want?" she asked, exhausted, leaning up against the counter. Fine, she was defeated. Jareth smirked, pushing off of the wall that he had been leaning up against.

"Something to eat would be nice," he answered after a period of silence. Sarah rolled her eyes, and then grabbed some random meat and bread.

"Here," she said as she handed it to him, "Sandwich. Eat." He stared at the food in front of him, then glanced up at Sarah.

"You don't expect me to make it, do you?" she scoffed, joking. His look was not joking. Her mouth dropped open, and she turned away, laughing nervously.

"You put the meat in between the bread," she instructed with a sigh, "Tada, you have a sandwich." As she walked away, towards her room, her thoughts returned to Anna and her little sister, Matilda. There was something going on in that house, and she was going to get enough evidence to find out what exactly. Though she had a pretty good idea, she wouldn't want to say it was true until she had solid evidence.

"What ever happened with that girl?" Jareth asked, suddenly in her room. Sarah jumped, stumbling slightly as she spun around to face him. "Don't do that!" she hissed, baring her teeth. Jareth chuckled slightly at her expression, only causing her to seethe more.

"Really though, what happened?" he asked, his face grim. He had seen the events happen in his crystal ball, but Sarah didn't need to know that.

She sighed, running her hand over her face. "I think she and her little sister are being abused," she answered softly, "But I need more evidence than injuries." Jareth watched her as she sluggishly plopped down on her bed, unsure of what to say.

If she remembered how they had originally met, then she would have just wished for it to happen. But she did not remember, so she did not do so. As he turned to leave, Sarah's voice stopped him.

"What did you mean when you said I didn't remember you?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbows. This thought, along with many others, had been nagging her ever since he had asked. Either she really did know him, and had just forgotten, or he was just some creep. She preferred the first thought, but she was no optimist, so it was probably the latter. Jareth's shoulders slumped, and but he did not turn to face her.

"Exactly that," he answered, his tone arrogant, covering up his sorrow, "You and I have met before. You obviously don't remember, so I shall be on my way."

Sarah almost said, "Thank God!" but the way he walked, the way his shoulders slumped, she couldn't bring herself to. The part of her that seemed to find him familiar longed to rush after him, and ask him to not leave, but the part of that found him arrogant and annoying was stronger, so she remained on her bed. As she heard her door slam shut, she released the breath that she was holding, and rolled over, onto her back.

Jareth made his way out of the building, his head held high. Though his rather odd (if not tight) wardrobe brought him a few stares, he did not care. His eyes were clouded with thoughts that refused to leave him be. Though he mainly wandered the streets, not caring for the most part where his soon tired feet led him, a destination soon stuck in his mind. If Sarah did not remember, why stay? His kingdom needed him, and he had asked for a leave of absence for only a few days; his few days were up.

Though the thought of traveling between worlds sparked a slight fear in him, after the previous incident, he shook his head to clear such ridiculous thoughts. The Goblin King? Afraid? How absurd! To add to that thought, a smirk graced his face, and the mist cleared from his eyes.

_Yes,_ he reasoned_, I shall leave this place, and go back! Yes, that is what I shall do!_ Despite the confidence in this thought, he still could not let go. Could not let go of the fact that he had been forgotten…

_No_, he shook his head, _stop it_. As he turned on his heel, and made his way towards his destination, he shoved any feelings into a locked compartment. He felt his heart grow cold, as it had these many years, and logic instead of emotion filled his mind. _Emotion, what a silly thing to have_.

Soon, the smell of damp leaves and the song of birds filled his senses, and he smiled wickedly, as he would not allow himself to smile pleasantly. Smiling _pleasantly_ was not for a king, oh no! The crunching of gravel soon gave way to the soft squelching of leaves that had been soaked, frozen, and then thawed many times. The trees soon began to clump closer together as he went in further, brushing away damp branches.

_How odd_, he thought as he brushed a bug off his shoulder, _usually the bugs stay_ _away_. But, he shrugged away the thought just as he had shrugged off a curious beetle, and continued on. The further he went, the more he was certain there was something strange about this forest. Despite the fact that it also held a portal to his world, unlike many of the other forests of this world, something seemed wrong.

The trees slumbered, but they made no noise as they did so. The trees of his world, Underground, slept as the trees in this world did, but they preformed this task with wheezy snores, and the occasional mumble of a dream. In his world, the trees would sometimes dance in their sleep, or the knots that composed their faces would turn in a smile.

But here, the trees seemed dead. They remained cold and still, their bark wet and stiff. Jareth paused, leaning closer to one particular evergreen. Nothing. As he almost placed his ear on the tree's bark, he was pleased to hear a slight breath. But, it sounded cough and sickened. The breathing pattern was irregular and shallow, and would stop from time to time, only to resume, almost panicked.

He recoiled in horror. These trees were dying! Not physically, but their souls were withering away, were crumbling away to dust. This season just might be their last. The emotions that he had locked away bounded out of the locked cupboard, causing him to run away from the coughing tree. This world was killing these trees! These humans, these horribly amusing humans, were killing their own earth, killing their own world. He ran faster, desperate to get to his home more than ever.

But, trees of every type surrounded him. The more he ran, the more he could hear their wheezing, their coughing, their soft death moans. Finally, he reached a clearing, where magic made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It was a powerful type of magic, the type that allows you to travel worlds that always made Jareth feel slightly giddy.

Frantic to escape this place, he ordered the thought of travel in his head rather noisily, and waited for the jolt that would course through his body.

But there was no jolt.

Nor did he see a flash of colors race around empty space, or smell the familiar, fresh air of Underground. No, he could still hear the trees as they cried for mercy. Fear grabbed his cold heart, warming the ice, so he ordered aloud, in Goblin tongue, to be taken from this world.

Still nothing.

Jareth's mismatched eyes widened, and he looked at his feet, then the sky. Over and over, he ordered the portal to open, to take him back to his castle, but nothing happened. After what seemed to be eternity, a terrifying thought crashed into his mind.

He was stuck.

**Eclipse: Heh, sorry about the rather slow update! School, family, blah blah blah… Ya know how it is. ;) **

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**Rocky181 – Heh, sorry that it wasn't "soon"!**

**ScarlettBlue – Oh, phew! Trust me, the changes of plot are going to add of the original! I sort of rethought about what's going to happen…. Heehee!**

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	7. Chapter 7: Dinner for Champions

Chapter 7

Dinner for Champions

Sarah stretched, her eye lids resisting as she opened them. Harsh sunlight flittered through the open curtains, and her belt buckle pressed into her side as she rolled over.

_Crap_, she realized, _I fell asleep_! Just as her head crashed back down on the pillows, not caring what time it could be, the phone rang. Her body almost jumped straight out of the bed, and she scrambled to the bedside table, her brown eyes wide and frenzied. The first time she picked it up, she nearly dropped it, but caught it just in time before it collided with the floor.

"H-hello?" Sarah asked, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Sarah?" Melody's voice echoed from the other side of the phone, "Hey, how're you?" A grin settled on Sarah's features, and she relaxed against a wall.

"Oh, hey Melody," she greeted, "I'm good. What's going on?" She could almost hear the smile in Melody's voice as she spoke. The other woman rambled on about certain things that had happened recently, not allowing Sarah to impute much, not that she minded; she only spoke when she felt like it. The smile slipped off of Sarah's face as Melody started talking about Jeremy, how his job was doing, and his behavior.

"He's been real moody lately," Melody said with a sigh, "Snappy, and such." Sarah sighed as well, sympathizing with her friend. Though she could didn't see it, Sarah kept a fake smile plastered to her face. She figured that if she _looked_ happy, then she would _sound_ happy. But Melody was always a hard woman to fool.

"Hey, Sarah," she said suddenly, "Is everything going alright? You sound sorta down." Sarah swallowed the rock in her throat, and coughed slightly. "Nah, I'm fine," she replied, shrugging. _Well, you know, minus creepy strangers coming_ _around and disappearing_, she thought sarcastically. The other side of the line was silent for a moment.

"Hey, you wanna come over?" Melody asked sweetly, "I haven't seen you since that weird owl thing, and I've missseeeddd yyyoouuuu!" Sarah cringed as she replied, "Sure, sounds great!"

_Moron! No, what have you done?_ But, she couldn't say no to Melody. Besides, she needed to get away from this apartment, what with Chris and that blonde weirdo. Melody quickly thanked her, and the line went dead.

In one hand, she nearly crushed the phone, and in the other, she tugged at her hair. A few strands came out as she pulled her hand away. "Shit," she muttered, banging her head against the wall, clutching the phone to her chest.

!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*

Jareth wandered around aimlessly, stumbling like a drunken man. Stuck! In this world! He stopped abruptly, and shook his head. No, he would find a way out. That wasn't the only portal in this world, and he was a _king_! Surely, his subjects would come looking for him, and he didn't want them finding him in a horrid state.

For now, he would need to set up a temporary settlement. Maybe at Sarah's- no, she did not remember. She was a stranger to him. Suddenly, the memory of her, on the floor in agonizing pain flashed in his memory. _What was that all about?_ _Had someone possibly-?_ Suddenly, someone crashed into him, causing Jareth to stumble backwards.

It was a small girl, with large grey eyes, and a tangle of wild red curls that seemed to stick straight up. Her already pale face became deathly white, and her shoulders hunched together, making her small, frail body even smaller.

"I'm sorry!" the girl said, looking up at the man before her with fear. Jareth's eyes widened as he took in her features, and the bruises that marred her young face. They matched that of the young girl that Sarah had taken an interest in. His eyes narrowed, causing the girl to shrink back. What was her name? Mary, Marigold, Marie….. Matilda.

Matilda.

She scurried away before Jareth had an opportunity to speak, suddenly gobbled up by a crowd of suits and solemn faces. Jareth gritted his teeth, and exhaled loudly, an annoyed noise emanating from his throat. He really shouldn't get involved in mortal quarrels; he did not care. He did not care. _I do not care,_ he told himself as he began to walk, huffing slightly.

As he passed by a window, Jareth was turned to inspect himself, and was stunned by the stranger staring back at him. He approached the glass to get a better look, just to make sure he wasn't confusing his reflection with some random mortal's.

No, this was indeed his reflection. Deep bags sagged underneath his eyes, and his skin held a slightly grey hue. His normally light blonde hair seemed dirty, limp almost. He raised a gloved hand to touch his face, trying to see if any of this was real. It was.

!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!**!***!*!*!*!*!*

"Hey Sarah!" Melody sang, encasing her taller friend in a bone crashing hug. Sarah laughed slightly as she hugged her friend back, wiggling out of her grasp. "Here's my kidney," she teased, holding out an imaginary organ. Melody's face broke out in a grin, her coal black eyes sparkling with merriment.

"Aw, for me?" she said, "You shouldn't have! I'll go put it with your other kidney and spleen." She took the imaginary kidney, and raced off, laughing with childlike joy. As Sarah smiled, and made her way towards where Melody was, the creaking of floor boards grabbed her attention.

Her head turned, and the smile slipped off her face as her eyes locked with Jeremy's green ones. Even though his tanned face remained calm, his eyes widened when he saw her. He ran a hand through his curly blonde hair, and nodded in Sarah's direction.

"Evening," he greeted politely, his eyes searching her face. Sarah nodded back. "Good evening," she said back, smiling politely, despite the fact that she wanted to shake someone. His eyes flickered over to her cheek, the one which held the scar, causing Sarah's face to light up slightly.

They held each other's gaze for a few more seconds before Sarah turned away, biting her lip and began walking towards Melody. The short woman was standing near her mantel, looking for something. Sarah's grin returned as she took in the living room. It hadn't changed much since her last visit.

The beat up green couch which was probably just as old, if not older than its owner, still sat in front of the TV which only got around two channels. A rocking chair sat next to a large balcony window, the golden brown curtains held back by the back rest. The mantel which Melody was looking at held so many pictures and trinkets that Sarah was surprised that their cat, Kettle, hadn't broken any yet.

"What're you looking for?" Sarah asked with a chuckle, poking Melody in the shoulder. The shorter woman jumped, and spun around, a large grin on her face. A picture frame was held in her hand, and she shoved it into Sarah's hands. "I found this lying in one of the boxes downstairs," she explained, "Thought you might want to have it. I already have a copy upstairs."

Sarah examined the picture, and she smiled. It was her at fifteen, her eyes not focused on the camera, her younger brother, Toby, settled on her knee. He was wearing his striped pajamas, and she wore her vest, jeans and blouse. Though she disliked the reminder that this picture instilled, she thanked Melody, and tucked it under her arm.

As Melody prepared dinner, Sarah killed time with looking through scrap books, which Melody was extremely good at. She had more than Sarah could count, ranging from ones with five pages, to ones that she rewarded herself with a cookie when she was able to carry them across the room. As her attention soon wandered away, she found herself thinking about Jareth.

_What the hell was that?_ she thought as she gazed upon a picture of Melody at seventeen licking ice cream off her fingers, _that had to be the weirdest,_ be a dream _randomest moment of my life. The whole owl to human thing had to be a dream_. She suddenly felt a presence, and looked up to see Jeremy, leaning up against the doorway, a scowl on his face.

"What?" Sarah sighed, closing the scrapbook. Jeremy watched her for a view moments, then answered, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Sarah glared at him, but none the less, stood up and followed him out of the room. "Yeah, what?" she asked, a hand on her hip, annoyance dripping off of her words. Jeremy pursed his lips, not daring to look her in the face, as he often found his eyes wandering towards her scar.

"Have you told Mel yet?" she said just as Jeremy was opening his mouth. He shut it close, and shook his head. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" he hissed, "She'll flip on me. You've seen her mad." Sarah gritted her teeth, and ran a hand down her face, watching Jeremy wearily.

"Yeah, I know," she answered, "But, if you tell her, she just might forgive you; finding out would be a whole other story." Jeremy growled, his usually calm eyes flashing.

"You think I don't know that?" he snarled, "If it's so much better than her finding out, then _you_ tell her. She won't be exactly thrilled with you either." Sarah's lip curled, a growl caught in her throat. Just as she was about to snap back at Jeremy, Melody suddenly appeared, her hair in a ponytail.

"Hey y'all," she greeted cheerfully, not noticing the tense atmosphere between the two, "Dinner's ready." Sarah changed her body language as best as she could, a smile placed on her face.

"It smells good," she complimented, following the shorter woman into the dining room, "Whatcha cooking?" Jeremy did not follow suit, instead deciding to slink downstairs to his office that really wasn't an office. But Melody's hand shot out like a snake, and she grabbed him by the arm.

"Oh no you don't, Oscar the grouch!" she called, "We're gonna have a nice dinner, all three of us." You could see the expression of "Oh shit," on the other two's faces, but Melody paid it not a thought. She grabbed an apron, and spun around, a large grin on her face. "Now, who wants spaghetti?" she sung, her eyes bright.

**Eclipse: 'Ello! Thanks so much for reviewing the last chapter! It makes me happy!**

**Thanks to:**

**Rocky181**

**Lady-Kanami**

**Bowie'sMistress (I love your username, by the way. ;D)**

**REVIEW!**


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